Sherwin-Williams Coating Protecting German Offshore Wind Farm’s Monopiles

Steelwind Nordenham has used a Sherwin-Williams coating solution for monopiles the German foundation manufacturer produced for EnBW’s He Dreiht offshore wind farm.

The coating selected for the project is Sherwin-Williams’ Dura-Plate SW-501 system, described as a solvent-free epoxy designed to form a barrier between steel surfaces and environmental elements such as water, oxygen and salts.

The coating system was chosen following previous collaboration between the companies on offshore wind projects, according to Sherwin-Williams, which said the solution selected for He Dreiht meets regulatory standards and will provide corrosion protection for the wind turbine foundation that are set to operate several decades in offshore conditions.

“Offshore wind monopiles are exposed to aggressive environmental conditions every day”, said Matthias Winkler, Sherwin-Williams’s Senior Key Account Manager, Wind Energy. “Rising from the seabed, these steel structures encounter saltwater immersion, strong currents, wave impacts, and fluctuating splash zones, all of which leaves them highly vulnerable to corrosion.”

Application of the coating took place at Steelwind Nordenham’s fabrication facility in northern Germany, where the monopiles were produced, using manual airless spraying by Hamburg-based contractor Robert Krebs.

Steelwind Nordenham completed the monopile production for He Dreiht in 2024, delivering 64 monopile structures that reach up to 71 metres in length and weigh about 1,350 tonnes.

At the He Dreiht project site, located about 85 kilometres northwest of Borkum, wind turbine installation is currently under way, with more than half of the Vestas 15 MW turbines now in place.

EnBW plans to install and commission all 64 wind turbines by the summer of 2026. Once in full operation, the 960 MW offshore wind farm will meet the needs of around 1.1 million households, according to the developer.